When you develop strain in your smile, you could suffer from serious disorders like TMJ disorder, bruxism, and even a sleep disorder like sleep apnea. Our team can help reposition the jaw to bring relief without the need for surgery or other invasive solutions. In today’s blog, your Columbia, TN, dentist talks about how we design and craft custom occlusal guards.
When to Seek Treatment
When you experience chronic pain in and around your smile, this is cause for concern and could be linked to bite imbalance and serious oral health disorders. For example, earaches, jaw pain, headaches and migraines, and aches in the face could indicate strain and imbalance, and shouldn’t be ignored. Our team takes a close look at your jaw joints and oral structures with digital x-rays, so we can make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy, helping you obtain relief and a healthier smile as a result!
TMJ Discomfort and Bruxism
TMJ disorder causes a host of uncomfortable symptoms and is caused by changes to your bite balance, which strains your jaw joints. Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, could be due to TMJ disorder, and the reverse is true too. With bruxism, the pressure from your grinding and clenching wears down and damages teeth, causing painful toothaches and tooth sensitivity. Both could be brought on by high stress levels, missing teeth, injuries to the face, or issues with the growth and development of your smile.
Sleep Apnea
Our team could also use custom oral appliances to bring relief for a common sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea. With this disorder, as you sleep the airways are cut off by the collapse of soft tissues, so you stop breathing until the brain wakes you, interrupting your REM sleep multiple times a night and leaving you exhausted the next day. You could experience chronic snoring, waking up gasping for air or choking, irritability, and issues with concentration or with memory. Over time, this could strain your immune system and heart health too!
The Occlusal Guards
We can help treat all three of these disorders with a minimally invasive and custom-made oral appliances. Our occlusal guards are made based on detailed images and impressions taken of your smile, and fit like a mouthguard. You wear them as you sleep, and they shift your jaw to ease strain and stress. In addition, they reposition the jaw and tongue to prevent airway obstruction, and can prevent further damage from teeth grinding. If you have any questions, then please contact our team today!
Talk To Creekside Family Dentistry About Oral Appliance Therapy
Our team wants to help you enjoy good oral health and a balanced bite. Give us a call at Creekside Family Dentistry in Columbia, TN at (931) 388-3384 for more information or to schedule an appointment!
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